Step One, Honesty is Key
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day five hundred and seventy-seven:  How to Fold a Paper Heart #2  After receiving the news they did, Kurt & Brittany need time to adjust before they can talk.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 27th cycle. Now cycle 28!_

_**A/N:** Okay, so at the moment I'm slowly starting to plot out the next maybe three or so cycles, which is at least 63 new stories, and before I do this I wanted to ask you guys if you had anything you'd wish to see written, suggestions... Also, what would really help, if you have ideas for concepts for sets (like I've done the alphabet (twice), colors, sins and virtues, episode titles, etc), let me hear 'em! (via private message, if possible!) Thanks :) - **UPDATE! I'm going to be planning the next five cycles, which will take me through to September. So if you have ideas/wishes/anything, now is the time to speak up! :)**_

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><p><strong>"Step One, Honesty is Key"<br>Kurt & Brittany  
>How to Fold a Paper Heart #2 (sequel to that story) <strong>

He didn't know where it had come from, but somewhere in the panic that had settled itself in his heart the moment the doctor had told him and Brittany that they were going to be having a baby he had managed to let some form of clarity to rise above. Yes, he was overrun with questions, so many questions, but the doctor was still talking, telling them things, and he still had the presence of mind to realize it was important, and they had to pay attention. He didn't know where Brittany's mind was at in this moment, more so than usual, so for her sake, and his, and… the baby's… he made sure he didn't lose a word of what the doctor said.

When the whirlwind stopped, it just… stopped, and it deposited them squarely back in the real world, as they walked out the doors of the clinic and the afternoon air touched their faces. It filled his lungs, and maybe he was learning how to breathe again, but oh it was difficult. The wind invaded him and he wasn't ready… but then, neither was she. He wasn't sure how long they just stood there. It took the doors opening behind them for them to move again. He looked over at her; she was still staring into nowhere. Maybe she was in shock… he wouldn't blame her.

They weren't going to go back to school, not that day. And he was pretty certain neither of them was envisioning going home just yet. They weren't too far off from the ice cream shop he would go to sometimes… He wasn't suggesting that this would be all it took for her to suddenly be better, but he had to think it would at least help soften the blow… because they really needed to talk. So he led her there. He guided her, and she just followed. Eventually they made it to the shop, he sat her at a table, and he went to get them both something. He picked what he thought she might like, and then he brought the two cups to the table, placing them both in the middle. "Which one do you want?" he asked, placing a spoon in each cup. She turned her eyes up, considered the cups, and eventually she pulled one of them closer to herself. She didn't do anything further for a while, just stared down at the ice cream. Eventually though she picked up the spoon, took a few digs in the ice cream, and finally she ate her first spoonful of it. Kurt just watched her, he couldn't not…

What had he done? Yes, he knew they had both been there, both made the decision that night, but neither of them had even considered this as an outcome, and if either of them was to be pinpointed as the one this was happening to, it was her… and so it was his fault. Now she was sitting there, looking more out of it than he'd ever seen her… was she even still in there? They had to talk, but how were they supposed to start? He couldn't even think how to start this. Whatever words he chose, it would feel like an apology. 'Sorry I did this to you.' He knew that was what would come out of his mouth… he hadn't expected it to come out of hers…

"I'm sorry." Those were the first words she said, since the clinic, and they shattered him.

"What? No, you don't…" he shook his head.

"It was me. I was the one who suggested it, remember?" she looked up, all blue eyes and almost tears. For a second he did think back to that night, in his basement, and he did remember, in everything that had happened, she had made the first move… of course she had; not like he would have known how to make that first move. But he came right back out of the memory.

"You don't have to apologize. If anyone does, it should be me."

"No…" she shook her head, and he knew at the very least she wasn't mad at him. Silence settled again, but already the air wasn't as heavy as it had been a moment ago… Now they had started to talk, it wouldn't be so hard anymore to continue... It was just the topic that unsettled them. They each ate some of their ice cream for a bit, before either of them could decide what to say next.

"How are you… How are you feeling?" he asked her. She paused, like she was checking.

"I don't feel sick anymore," she stated. "My arm pulls," she looked to the point where they'd drawn her blood, where a cotton ball was held by a clear piece of tape. "My throat feels dry… but this helps," she looked to the ice cream cup. He nodded. Before they'd found out, he'd been afraid of the reality. He had just kept clinging to the possibility that it could all be some kind of mistake. Now that they knew it wasn't a mistake though, he saw he had other things to dread… decisions. No one would have ever seen this coming, not between the two of them, and yet somehow they were proceeding with a lot of calm so far. He knew that wouldn't last, not with the next things they had to discuss. He wasn't sure if she was thinking this far yet, if she was still stuck in the initial shock. He could have waited to even bring it up, but then he had been thinking ahead.

Whatever they decided, at the very least for this moment in time she was pregnant, and he was the other half of that equation. It may all have been fine and private at this time, because they were the only ones who knew and they weren't at home, but… eventually they would have to go home, and if either of their parents was observant at all, they would know something was wrong the moment they saw either of them. He didn't know Brittany's parents, so he didn't know what kind of people they were, but they'd have to see the upset all over her face; she wouldn't be able to hide that very well. And him, well… maybe he'd be able to get one past his father… maybe… Even then, he wouldn't want to. He couldn't see himself lying to him about this, not after everything they'd been through, but… he knew this would probably break his heart. But it was like he'd thought before… at this time, she was pregnant. And he had gotten her that way. The very least he had to do was to look out for her, and so this was the cause for concern. It almost felt wrong to address this, considering everything, but he didn't have a choice, because… all those things that made Brittany the peculiar girl she was, well… what if it ended up harming the baby somehow? The moment he let her go back home, anything could happen…

His head was starting to spin, so he ate a few scoops of ice cream, hoping it would ground him. That was when he realized something else… She was relying on him. She'd been calm up until then, but the moment he looked like he was starting to lose it, he heard the shudder of a breath and he looked up to find she had started to cry. It was like he'd told her, about him and his mother… If she wasn't scared, then he didn't have to be, so if he didn't freak out, then… Only now, seeing her cry, he could feel his eyes begin to sting.

"Britt, I…" he started, but he choked up immediately. His words weren't going to calm her down, so he would have to. He got up and just took his chair around to sit by her and, after a second of hesitation or two, he put his arms around her. Right away, she turned and buried her head in his shoulder, muffling her sobs. He closed his eyes and tried to call up every last bit of courage in him, so maybe he could say something again, so she'd know he had only slipped for a moment and that he could be okay again, that she didn't have to panic.

They weren't going to decide, not that day… How could they? It was still fresh in their minds, too fresh and too confusing, and they would need time. Between now and then though, he wanted to make sure she'd be okay. And that's when he knew what they had to do; he just didn't know if she'd be up for it.

"Do you think… Maybe you should call Santana." She looked up at him, and there was a new kind of panic in her eyes. "If you can stay at her house tonight, then it'd give you time to recover, but… that means you'd have to tell her what's going on." She just looked back at him for a moment, trying to convince herself that he was right, that there was no other way. It beat having to drop this on her parents just yet, but even then… it was Santana.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, sniffling. Now that she was asking him, he had to ask himself. And really, there was no other way around it.

"I'm… I'm going to go… home… and I'm going to tell my dad." Now he'd decided that, and his panic receded, at least enough that his voice had returned. He could see the effect on her was immediate, too. She was breathing again, and looking at her he knew she'd made up her mind; she'd call on Santana. "Do you want me to stay with you when she comes?"

"No, I'll do it," she shook her head, her voice showing less and less the fact she'd been crying. "Besides if I don't talk to her first she might come after you," she pointed out, and it was the lightest moment they'd shared since before they had left McKinley earlier, and it got a chuckle out of him, which spilled over to her.

"Fine, so I'll let you talk to her," he concluded.

"Can you stay until she gets here?" she begged, and he nodded. She let out a breath and pulled out her phone. She stared at it for a while, like she'd forgotten the number, but Kurt knew she was just still scared about widening the circle of people who knew. He gave her shoulder a pat, letting her know he was still there for her. So she sat up, and she wrote out the message, hitting send before she could stop. Now it was done, so there was nothing much left to do but eat their now half-melted ice cream.

THE END

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><p><strong>AN: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
><strong>**In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
><strong>**always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!**


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